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<\/a>Dining Traveler Tips: Planning a Trip to Japan<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\nGetting There <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The easiest part of planning a trip to Japan is getting there.\u00a0 Americans do not need a visa to enter; the entry process is quite simple, and you have 90 days to enjoy the country.\u00a0 However, the flight is long and pricey. Plan between $900 – $1,300 for a plane ticket, and you\u2019re looking at a 14 to 10-hour flight if you\u2019re traveling from the continental USA, given you\u2019re flying non-stop.\u00a0 Flying Dulles (Washington, DC) to Tokyo takes 14+ hours.\u00a0 Check out my long haul flight essentials post for tips on how to survive the journey.\u00a0 Although getting there is expensive and time-consuming, don\u2019t get discouraged! \u00a0The long trip is worth it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Traveling within Japan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When planning a trip to Japan, I recommend taking a minimum of ten days to discover the country to be able to experience a handful of cities.\u00a0 Japan has a great transportation system: the ultra-efficient Shinkansen<\/a> (high speed rail) system to the abundance of low-cost Japanese carriers (check our guide here<\/a>) that make it easy to travel around the country.\u00a0 In our case, we flew a low-cost carrier, Skymark, to Kobe for $100 per person from Tokyo the day after our arrival in the country and worked our way back to Tokyo via Shinkansen.\u00a0 As I was planning ahead, I found the train system website to be quite confusing. However, I was told by other travelers not to worry as it was quite easy to purchase tickets at the train station.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Where to Go in Japan<\/h2>\n\n\n\nThere are so many places to see in Japan that one trip doesn\u2019t cut it (unless you’re lucky to stay the full 90 days!).\u00a0 I recommend thinking about the theme of your trip. Is it food? Is it culture? Is it shopping? That determines which cities will suit you best.\u00a0 In our case, we really wanted to experience the food and culture.\u00a0 We started small at Kobe, moved to a larger city, Kyoto, and concluded our adventure in Tokyo.\u00a0 Both the Dutchman and I agreed that Japan can be sensory overload: the lights, the crowds, the unknown language\u2026 We\u2019re glad we started in a small city like Kobe and worked our way to Tokyo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I regret not making it to Osaka, but we agreed that a three-city itinerary was perfect for a 10-day trip.\u00a0 I ended up going on a solo trip to Osaka in 2022 and loved every minute of it.\u00a0 People asked which was my favorite city in Japan. I \u00a0say Kobe to the surprise of others.\u00a0 It\u2019s a smaller city; we barely saw any Westerners, and it gave us a glimpse of quotidian Japanese living. Other cities\/places readers recommend:\u00a0 Nagoya, Nagano, Hokkaido, and of course, my beloved Okinawa. A website I found useful was Japan-Guide.com, \u00a0 it has a lot of tips of what to see at each city.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"Planning](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.diningtraveler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/planning-a-trip-to-japan-tokyo.jpg?resize=696%2C465&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Planning a Trip to Japan: Art Room at Park Hotel Tokyo<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nWhere to Stay in Japan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When I was planning my trip to Japan, we toyed with the idea of staying at a Ryokan (traditional Japanese guest house) or a hotel.\u00a0 In the end, we went for hotels in all of our three stops. A Ryokan offers traditional Japanese rooms where guests have tatami mats and futons, which means you\u2019re sleeping very close to the floor.\u00a0 Also, the rooms in our price range were\u00a0quite small.\u00a0 During this trip, I was 4.5 months pregnant and was looking for a little more comfort and let\u2019s not forget the Dutchman is 6\u20199\u201d.\u00a0 However, we did end up booking Japanese-owned hotels in each city:\u00a0 Okura Kobe, Sakura Gallery Terrace in Kyoto, Park Hotel in Tokyo, and Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo.\u00a0 I believe this gave us a unique glimpse of Japanese hospitality. We loved how every room had pajamas and slippers, generous amounts of toiletries, and an unlimited supply of tea!\u00a0 Dining Traveler Tip:\u00a0 Although my favorite booking site is Booking.com, I recommend doing a price comparison with Agoda.com, as it usually has better prices for Asian properties.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Planning a Budget for your Trip to Japan<\/h2>\n\n\n\nTraveling in Japan can be pricey.\u00a0 For a quality hotel, look to spend $175 a night or more in the smaller cities.\u00a0 In Tokyo, $225+.\u00a0 At this time (January 2024) the dollar is very strong to the Yen, so you may find some good deals. We did find the food to be not only of great quality but affordable.\u00a0 One of the recommendations I got was to explore the food courts of the metro stations and department stores. These are not your typical American \u201cfood courts\u201d. There, you can find everything from sushi to tempura to ramen, exquisitely made. \u00a0We had some great quality meals below several underground stations. \u00a0That was one of my favorite parts, especially at dinner time. Being in a crowded, anonymous Izakaya with a combination of young students, salarymen in their suits, and us, the Dutchrican couple trying to decipher the menu with Google Translate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Impressions <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Having lived in Asia (Okinawa and Seoul) for almost two years combined and traveling across the region, I find it to be a bit overwhelming sometimes, even for a seasoned traveler like me.\u00a0 I attribute it mostly to the language barrier, despite the abundance of\u00a0teaching English in Japan jobs<\/a>\u00a0now available in the country.\u00a0 Although I can say \u00a0basic pleasantries in both Japanese and Korean, it can be a bit intimidating to enter a restaurant where there\u2019s no English menu and the staff cannot communicate with you.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Planning](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.diningtraveler.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/planning-a-trip-to-japan-tokyo.jpg?ssl=1\")
<\/a>Where to Stay in Japan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When I was planning my trip to Japan, we toyed with the idea of staying at a Ryokan (traditional Japanese guest house) or a hotel.\u00a0 In the end, we went for hotels in all of our three stops. A Ryokan offers traditional Japanese rooms where guests have tatami mats and futons, which means you\u2019re sleeping very close to the floor.\u00a0 Also, the rooms in our price range were\u00a0quite small.\u00a0 During this trip, I was 4.5 months pregnant and was looking for a little more comfort and let\u2019s not forget the Dutchman is 6\u20199\u201d.\u00a0 However, we did end up booking Japanese-owned hotels in each city:\u00a0 Okura Kobe, Sakura Gallery Terrace in Kyoto, Park Hotel in Tokyo, and Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo.\u00a0 I believe this gave us a unique glimpse of Japanese hospitality. We loved how every room had pajamas and slippers, generous amounts of toiletries, and an unlimited supply of tea!\u00a0 Dining Traveler Tip:\u00a0 Although my favorite booking site is Booking.com, I recommend doing a price comparison with Agoda.com, as it usually has better prices for Asian properties.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n